William Alexander Craigie (ms36707-36928)

Born in Dundee, Craigie was a talented student at St Andrews University, excelling in diverse subjects including classics, languages, and English literature. He became a philologist and lexicographer, instrumental in the collation of the New Oxford Dictionary as its editor for 30 years, and Professor of Anglo-Saxon. He was fluent in Icelandic and also interested in Scandinavian folklore; he became friends with Andrew Lang through their mutual interest in tales of the supernatural. His papers include letters to his fiancée Jessie Hutchen, giving an insight into an academic's life in Oxford, certificates from Scandinavian institutes, letters from Lang and fellow historian David Hay Fleming, diaries and poems.